[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 20218-20219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                             ENERGY POLICY

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I indicate to my colleagues I will take 
a few minutes to speak about the administration's energy policy; 
however, as I think about it, it is better to entitle it the 
administration's ``no energy'' policy.
  Mr. President, I rise today to express my frustration and anger with 
the Clinton/Gore administration's lack of an energy policy.
  Each weekend I travel back to my home state of Iowa. In recent weeks 
I have spent many hours explaining to my constituents why fuel prices 
are so high, and unfortunately, explaining why prices will likely rise 
past current levels. I've continually had the displeasure of looking 
truckers and farmers in the eye and telling them there is no relief in 
sight.
  In my home state we are experiencing price levels not seen in a 
decade, but all I can tell my farmers and truckers is that it is likely 
going to get worse.
  In recent weeks, the price of crude oil reached more than $37 a 
barrel, the highest price in 10 years. Natural gas is $5.10 per million 
Btu's, double over a year ago. Heating oil in Iowa is around $1.25 a 
gallon, up 40 cents from this time last year. And propane, a critical 
fuel which farmers use to dry grain, is up 55 percent since last year.
  These increases are simply unacceptable. Iowans and the rest of the 
nation should not have been subjected to these price spikes.
  Unfortunately, it is the Clinton/Gore administration's lack of an 
energy policy over the past 7\1/2\ years that have directly led to the 
situation we are facing today. Mr. President, two weeks ago, Vice 
President Gore stated, and I quote: ``I will work toward the day when 
we are free forever from the dominance of big oil and foreign oil.''
  Yet, since 1992, U.S. oil production is down 18 percent--the lowest 
level since 1954. At the same time, U.S. oil consumption has risen 14 
percent.
  The result: U.S. dependence on foreign oil under the Clinton/Gore 
administration has increased 34 percent. We now depend on foreign oil 
cartels for 58 percent of our crude oil, compared to just 36 percent 
during the Arab oil embargo of 1973.
  Some may be wondering how we got here. The answer is clear. This 
administration is opposed to the use of coal. Opposed to nuclear energy 
production. Opposed to hydroelectric dams. Opposed to new oil 
refineries; 36 have been closed, but none has been built in

[[Page 20219]]

the past eight years. And, this administration is opposed to domestic 
oil and gas exploration and production.
  This administration opposes nearly every form of domestic energy 
production.
  They do, however, support the use of clean, efficient, and 
domestically produced natural gas. Currently, 50 percent of American 
homes are heated with natural gas. In addition, 15 percent of our 
nation's electric power is generated by natural gas. And while demand 
for natural gas is expected to increase by 30 percent over the next 
decade, the administration has not provided the land access necessary 
to increase supply.
  As this map demonstrates, federal lands in the Rocky Mountains and 
the Gulf of Mexico, along with offshore areas in the Atlantic and the 
Pacific, contain over 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Access to 
this land could provide the resources necessary to meet current demand 
for nearly ten years.
  Unfortunately, this land and millions of acres of forest are either 
closed to exploration or effectively off limits. Simply put, our 
nation's producers can't meet demand without greater access to the 
resources God gave us.
  I am a strong supporter of alternative and renewable energy. I have 
been a leader in the Senate in promoting alternative energy sources as 
a way of protecting our environment and increasing our energy 
independence.
  My support for expanding the production of ethanol, wind and biomass 
energy has directly led to the increased use of these abundant 
renewable energy resources. But right now, these are only part of the 
solution, and President Clinton and Vice President Gore know that.
  The administration does not have a plan to deal with our current 
energy needs. I believe the solution is clear.
  It is time to support and encourage responsible resource 
development--using our best technology to protect our environment--to 
increase domestic energy production. It is time to make use of the vast 
resources this great country has to offer. Only then will we be free 
from so much dependence on foreign sources of energy.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alabama.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I express my appreciation to Senator 
Grassley for his wise remarks about our energy policy. Certainly 
natural gas is the cleanest burning of our fossil fuels. We will need 
it more and more because every electric powerplant that is being built 
is a natural gas plant. The Senator makes an outstanding and valuable 
point that we have to do a better job of producing more.
  (The remarks of Mr. Sessions and Mr. Hutchinson pertaining to the 
introduction of S. 3143 are located in today's Record under 
``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arkansas.

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